Feed mechanism



April 24, 1962 E. A. ANDERSON FEED MECHANISM 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. l2, 1959 INVENTOR.

Arm/sys April 24, 1962 E. A. ANDERsoN FEED MECHANISM Filed Nov. l2.

7 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENToR. bw/mo AAnomso/v BY \3 l r z f/ In Arron/Veys April 24, 1962 E. A. ANDERSON FEED MECHANISM 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 112,l 1959 JNVENTOR. 0m/Apo A. ANDERSON April 24, 1962 E. A, ANDERSON FEED MECHANISM 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed NOV. l2, 1959 @NEYS A rra April 24, 1962 E. A. ANDRSON FEED MECHANISM '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. l2, 19594 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 April 24, 1962 E. A. ANDERSON FEED MECHANISM Filed Nov. 12, 1959 `N l m W R. m 5 6 0 El f IE j; W w ,4, i w A. ,rm M 4 1 .mw' m 3 M f 4f 4 k U w E. A. ANDERSON 3,030,834

FEED MECHANISM l 7 sheets-sheet 7 April 24, 1962 Filed Nov. 12, 1959 N. Y w M N mn n N VA m 2 8 m4 w m 9 m A O u 5 m 0 M 0:v5% /fC 5 H m M ur United States Patent Office 3,03%,834 Patented Apr. 24, 1962 3,030,834 FEED MECHANISM Edward A. Anderson, Cleveland Heights, Ghia, assignor to The Lamson & Sessions Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Nov. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 852,408 17 Claims. (Cl. 78-99) This invention relates to feed mechanism for feeding blanks or articles in succession from a supply station to a work station and, although the mechanism can be used to feed various kinds of blanks or articles to various kinds of machines, it is especially applicable to the feeding of blanks or articles to the die means of a punch press or the like and is therefore shown and described herein as applied to that use but without any intention of limiting the invention in that regard. As a matter of convenience, the objects being fed are referred to hereinafter merely as articles In the operation of dies by machines of the punch press type, the rate of operation is often determined by the rate at which the articles can be fed to the work station from the supply station and, as one of its objects, this invention provides novel feed mechanism of a highly practical form and by which such feeding can be accomplished in a more rapid and satisfactory manner than has heretofore been possible, and consequently, a higher output rate for the machines is obtainable.

In many previous forms of feed mechanisms the rate at which articles can be fed to the dies of associated machines is dependent upon and limited by the rate of gravity movement or transfer of the articles from an article holder means to the dies and, as another of its objects, this invention provides novel feed mechanism in which the transfer of the articles from the holder means to the dies is not dependent upon gravity but is accomplished in a positive manner by the action of an ejector means.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel feed mechanism comprising holder means adapted to receive an individual article and carry the same from the supply station to the work station, and ejector means operable by energizable actuator device to cause a positive transfer of the article from the holder means to an article-receiving die or the like.

Still another object is to provide novel feed mechanism of the character above referred to and comprising a spring-type actuator device for the ejector means, and a control means for the actuator device by which the ejector means is made to function automatically and in a timed relation to the operation of the die means of the machine with which the feed mechanism is associated.

It is likewise an object of this invention to provide novel feed mechanism of the `kind indicated above and wherein the ejector means and its actuator device are located on a carrier which is subject to being repeatedly moved in an advance direction relative to the articlereceiving die of the associated machine.

Additionally, this invention provides novel feed mechanism of the character referred to above wherein an article holder means is moved back and forth between a supply station and a work station by motion transmitted thereto from a reciprocable ram or the like, through connecting means comprising a releasable clutch for transmitting the motion to the article holder means in the feeding direction and co-operable thrust elements for a positive movement of the holder means in the return direction.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent in the following detailed description and in the accompaying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one side of the feed mechanism of this invention and showing the same applied to a machine of the punch press type and with the holder means of the mechanism in a retracted or article-receiving position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the feed mechanism from the other side thereof and showing portions of the mechanism in section;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the feed mechanism when viewed from the outer or rear end thereof as indicated by the directional line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is mainly an end elevation of the feed mechanism as seen from the inner or forward end thereof, the viev being taken as indicated by section line 4-4 of FI l;

FIG. 5 is a partial side elevation corresponding with a portion only of the side elevation of FIG. 1 and showing such portion of the feed mechanism on a larger scale and with certain parts in section;

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional plan view taken on section line 6 6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional plan view similar to that of FIG. 6 but showing the article holder means in the discharge or transfer position;

FIG. 8 is a transverse vertical section taken as indicated by section line 8--8 of FIGS. 1 and 6;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary section taken on section line 9-9 of FIG. 8 and showing the latch means of the ejector actuating device;

FIG. 10 is a partial transverse vertical section taken on section line 1i9-1tl of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 11 is a partial transverse vertical section taken on section line 11-11 of FIG. 6.

In the accompanying drawings the feed mechanism 10 of this invention is shown applied to a machine 11 and operates to feed individual articles 12 in succession from a supply station S to receiver means located at a work station W. The supply station S is represented in the drawings by chute means 13 and the receiver means of the work station is represented by the tooling or die means 14 of the machine 11.

The machine 11 is of the punch press type and is here shown as comprising a base 16 having a table member or bolster plate 17 at the top thereof and supporting a die block 18. The machine 11 also comprises a ram or the like 19 reciprocably movable toward and away from the die block 18 and carrying a punch holder 20.

The die means 14 is of a form suitable for the operation to be performed on the article 12 and is here shown as comprising an article-receiving die member 21 mounted on the die block 13 and having a die recess 22 of a size and slrape appropriate 4for the articles 12. The die means 14 also comprises a punch 23 carried by the punch holder 20 and whose lower end is movable into the die recess 22 for performing a desired operation on the article 12. A conventional knock-out pin 24 extends through the die block 18 and the die member 21 in a movable relation thereto for lifting, or assisting in lifting, the article 12 out of the die recess 22.

The feed mechanism 10 comprises, in general, a support structure or frame 26, a carrier 27 having a forward and return movement relative to the die means 14, and holder means 23 for one of the articles 12 and movable between the supply station S and the Work station W by the forward and return movements of the carrier. The feed mechanism 1t) also comprises motion transmitting lever means 29 operably connecting the carrier 27 with the ram 19 for actuation by the latter, and ejector means 30 swingable by an energizable means or actuator device 31 for causing the article 12 to be transferred from the holder means 28 to the article-receiving die member Z1.

The frame 26 is adapted to be suitably supported, in

this case, to be mounted on the base 16 of the machine 11 and, for this purpose, is provided with a bracket portion 33 which is attached to the table member or bolster 17 as by means of suitable screws 34. The frame 26 also comprises a hollow lower portion 35 containing a longitudinal guideway or chamber 36, and a pedestal 37 extending'above such lower portion and providing a support for the motion transmitting means 29.

The lower frame portion 35 is provided with spaced end Walls 38 and 39 and with a side wall 4t) which has a longitudinal clearance opening or slot 41 therein in communication with the chamber 36. A laterally projecting upper `bracket V42 provided on the side Wall 40 adjacent the inner or forward end of the slot 41 forms a part of the chute means 13 as will be further explained hereinafter. A laterally projecting ledge or lower bracket 43 also provided on the side wall 40 has a flat top forming a bearing surface on which the holder means 28 and the front end portion 27a of the carrier 27 are slidably supported.

A guide means and main support for the carrier 27 is provided in the frame 26 and is here shown as comprising a pair of vertically spaced guide rods 45 and 46 extending longitudinally in the chamber 36. The rods 45 and 46have their ends anchored in the spaced end Walls 38 and 39.

The carrier 27 comprises a slide member 47 supported by the guide rods 45 and 46 and a carrier body 48 connected with such slide member and supported thereby. For the purpose of such connection of the carrier body '48 with the slide member 47 the latter member is provided with a lateral arm projection 49 on one side thereof and which extends through the clearance slot 41. The `slide member 47 is mounted on the guide rods 45 and 46 by being provided with upper and lower pairs of bearings 51, 52 and 53, 54 which are slidable on these rods.

The carrier body 48 is provided at spaced points thereof'with a pair of longitudinally aligned front and rear bearing projections 55 and 56. For a purpose to be eX- plained hereinafter, the rear bearing projection 56 is formed integral with an enlargement or head portion 57 of the carrierbody 48 which also forms a support for a trip vdevice'SS to l'be described later. The front bearing projection 55 is split along one side thereof and forms a clamp for a bearing sleeve 59 which is received therein and projects therefrom. The front end portion 27a of the carrier body 48 extends forwardly of the bearing projection 55 and forms a support portion on which the holder means 28 is mounted.

The bracket projection 42 of the chute means 13 is of a block-like form and has a vertical feed passage 61 therein of a cross-sectional size and shape appropriate for the size and shape of the articles 12 to be fed and, in this instance, is a cylindrical passage. The upper end of the feed passage 61 is in communication with a feed tube 62 which also forms a part of the chute means 13 and through which the articles 12 are supplied to the feed passage from an adjacent hopper or sorting machine 63. The feed tube 62 is attached to the bracket 42 as by means of a clip 60.

The lowermost article in the feed passage 61 is releasably retained therein-by a retainer pin 64 which projects into this passage and is retractible therefrom to permit the escape of such lowermost article. The retainer pin 64 is slidable in a transverse opening of the bracket projection 42 and is connected with an actuator bar 65 carrying a thrust element in the form of a screw 66 adjustably mounted in such actuator bar.

The retainer pin 64 normally projects into the feed passage 61 and is urged toward this position by a compression spring 67 which is effective on the actuator bar 65 through a pull rod 68 connected with the latter. The rod 68 also extends through the bracket projection 42 and is slidably received in an opening thereof so that the expansive action of the spring 67, effective against a head 4 69 provided on the pull rod, will urge the retainer pin 64 toward its extended position shown in FIG. 7.

The holder means 28 is here shown as comprising a pair of cooperating swingable fingers 71 and 72 mounted on the end portion 27a offthe carrier body 48 by pivot pins 73 so as to be swingably movable in a closing and separating relation to each other. The free ends of the fingers 71 and 72 are provided with notches in the adjacent edges thereof which cooperate to form an article receiving pocket 74. The fingers 71 and 72 have aligned transverse openings therein which cooperate to form a spring chamber 75 in which a tension spring 76 is disposed. The spring 76 has its outer ends suitably connected to the fingers 71 and 72 and normally urges the fingers toward their closed relation for causing the notched portions of the fingers to engage an individual article 12 disposed in the pocket 74.

Rearward sliding movement of the slide member 49 on the guide rods 45 and 46 causes a retracting movement of the carrier 27 relative to the die means 14 by which the pocket 74 of the holder means 28 is brought to an article-receiving position beneath the feed passage 61 of the chute means 13. As the pocket 74 arrives at this article-receiving position, the retainer pin 6'4 is retracted from the feed passage 61 to permit the lowermost article 12 to drop into the pocket.

For thus retracting the retainer pin 64, the carrier body 48 is provided with a thrust member or trigger 78 for engagement with the thrust screw 66 of the actuator bar 65. The thrust member 78 is Vhere shown as being an L-shaped member adjustably connected with the end portion 27a by means of screws 79 extending through a slot provided in the stern 78a of this member. The lug portion 7 8b of the thrust member 78 is disposed in an upstanding relation, as shown in FIG. 2, so as to engage the inner end of the thrust screw 66 as the stem portion 789 moves past and beneath the thrust screw.

Suitable means is provided for causing separation of the fingers 71 and 72 of the holder means 28 to thereby enlarge the pocket 74 when the holder means moves to its article-receiving position beneath the bracket projection 42. For this purpose the ybracket projection 42 is provided, on the underside thereof, with a tapered wedge portion forming a spreader means having divergent side faces 81 and the fingers 71 and 72 of the holder means 28 are provided with upstanding actuator pins 82 which are engageable with these tapered faces. The engagement of the actuator pins 82 with the thrust surfaces 81 causes the fingers 71 and 72 to be spread apart in opposition to the force of the spring 76 so that the lower-most article in the feed passage 61, when released by the retraction of the retainer pin 64, will drop into the pocket 74.

The inward or forward movement of the carrier 27 relative to the die means 14 advances the holder means 28 from the supply station S to the work station W for carrying to the latter the individual article 12 which has just been supplied to the pocket 74. As the holder means 28 rnoves away from the supply station S, the actuator pins 82 of the fingers disengage the thrust surfaces 81 thereby permitting the tension spring 76 to cause closing movement between the fingers 71 and 72 whereby the article will be grippingly retained in the pocket 74.

As shown in the drawings, the 4fingers 71 and 72 extend in a forwardly projecting relation to the end portion 27a of the carrier on which they are mounted so that, when the holder means 28 arrives at the work station W, the fingers will overlie the die member 21 and the pocket 74 carrying one of the articles 12 will assume a position substantially in alignment with the open upper end of the die recess 22. This is the discharge or transfer position of the holder means 28 at which the article 12 is transferred to the die recess by the functioning of the ejector means 30 which will be described next.

The ejector means 30 comprises a swingable ejector arm 84 and an ejector member 85 carried by such arm and cooperable with the holder means 28. The ejector member S5 is here shown as being a pin or finger depending from the arm 84 adjacent the free end thereof and movable into the pocket 74 of the holder means for dislodging engagement with the article 12. As the ejector member S5 enters the pocket 74 and moves downwardly thereinto, it pushes the article 12 out of the pocket and directly into the die recess 22 in a rapid and positive manner so that the transfer of the article from the holdler means 28 to the article-receiving die member 21 need not be dependent upon gravity.

The punch 23 is of such a character' and co-operates with the article 12 in such a manner that, when the desired operation has been performed on the article, the opening movement of the ram 19 will result in the formed article `being lifted out of the die recess 22 by the punch. This results from an existing temporary adherent connection -between the article 12 and the punch 23 by which the article remains on the punch as the latter moves to its die-open position shown in FIG. 2. The action of the knock-out pin 24 serves to loosen the article 12 in the die recess 22 so that it will adhere to the punch as just above described. The removal of the article 12 from the die recess 22 thus leaves the die recess in a vacant condition to receive the next article to be fed by the carrier 27.

By the time that the punch has moved to its open p0- sition shown in FIG. 2 with the article 12 adhering thereto, the carrier 27 will have advanced the holder means 2S to the transfer position over the die recess 22 in readiness for the ejector member 85 to move the next article out of the pocket 74 and into the die recess. This same swingable ejecting movement of the ejector arm 84 is utilized to dislodge the previously formed article from the punch 23. For this purpose, the ejector arm 84 is provided with a second ejector 4mem-ber in the form of a striker member 4or blade 86.

The blade 86 is mounted on the arm 84 so as to extend therea-bove in a canted relation and the same downward swinging movement of the arm, which advances the first ejector member 85 into the'pocket 74, causes the second ejector member or blade 86 to strike against the adhering article and dislodge the same from the punch 23. This dislodgment of the article from the punch also causes the article to be thrown or flicked in a direction toward and into an adjacent guide chute 87 through which the article passes to a collecting pan or bin.

The actuator means 31 for the ejector means 30 is an cnergizable form of power device which is here shown as being a spring device mounted on the carrier 27 and movable therewith. The actuator device 31 comprises a pivoted shaft 90 and a torsion spring 91 disposed in a surrounding relation to such shaft. The shaft 90 is rockable in the bearing projection 56 and in the bearing sleeve 59 which is clamped in the bearing projection 55. The inner or forward end of the shaft 90 extends through, and projects from, an extension portion 92 of the bearing sleeve 59 and has the ejector arm 84 keyed or otherwise suitably secured thereon. The portion of the shaft 9i) which is rockable in the rear bearing projection 56 is an enlarged portion 93.

The forward or inner end of the spring 91 is provided with an axial projection 94 which is anchored on the carrier 27 by reason of its being engaged in an opening or notch of a collar 95 carried by the bearing sleeve 59. At the rear end thereof, the spring 91 is provided with an axial drive projection 96 whch is engaged in an opening or slot of the shaft enlargement 93. The torsion spring 91 is subjected to an initial loading which can be adjusted from time to time as desired, by varying the rotative position in which the bearing sleeve 59 is clamped in the bearing projection 55.

The power device 31 is energized by torsionally loading, or further loading, the spring V91 by forced rotation of the shaft 90. For this purpose, a pair of rco-operating cam members is provided comprising a stationary cam member 98 and a movable cam follower 99. The cam member 98 is of a curved-plate shape and is suitably mounted on the frame 26 adjacent the rear bearing projection 56 of the carrier 27 by a bracket projection 161i of the frame. The curved cam member 93 has a helical cam portion or edge 101 which faces toward the feed station S and extends in an arcuate relation part-way around the axis of the shaft 90.

The cam follower 99 comprises a radial arm 102 fixed on the rear end of the shaft and carrying a roller 103 which is located to engage the helical cam edge 191 and roll therealong during the rearward or retracting movement of the carrier 27. The co-operation of the cam follower 99 with the cam member 9S produces a rotative reaction effect on the shaft 9i) by which the latter is rotated or rocked to cause the loading, or further loading, of the torsion spring 91.

The radial arm 102 of the cam follower 99 forms one part of the above-mentioned latch device 53 and another member of this latch device comprises a swingable latch arm 195. As shown in FIG. 9, the latch arm 165 is swingably mounted on the enlargement 57 of the carrier body 48 by means of a pivot pin 106. The latch arm 105 is provided adjacent the free end thereof with a keeper element 197 which is engageable by the arm 162 of the cam follower 99 for releasably holding the shaft 99 against rotation by the torsion spring 91.

A latch spring 108 interposed between the carrier body portion 57 and the latch arm 105 biases the latter in a direction to maintain the keeper element 1117 in holding engagement with the arm 192. The latch arm 195 is provided with an actuating lug or stem 109 which is engageable with a trip member in the form of an abutment screw 110 for tripping the latch member and causing the keeper element 197 to release .the arm 102 so that the shaft 90 can be rapidly and forcibly rotated by the torsion spring 91.

The abutment screw 110 is adjustably mounted in a bracket 111 provided on the side wall 40 of the frame portion 35 and is located at a suitable point so that, when the advance movement of the carrier 27 brings the holder means 2S to its transfer position adjacent the die recess 22,

d the lug 199 of the latch arm 105 will come into engagement with the abutment screw 110 to cause the keeper element 107 to release the arm 102. This will result in the rotation of the shaft 90 by torsion spring 91 and in the algove-described swinging of the ejector members 85 and 8 The motion transmitting lever means 29 comprises a pair of driving and driven levers 114 and 115 swingably supported by a pivot shaft 116 extending transversely of the edestal 37 adjacent the upper end thereof. The lever 114 is connected with and actuated by the rarn 19 of the machine 11, and the lever is connected with the slide member 47 of the carrier 27 for imparting :the forward and return movements to the latter.

The connection of the lever 114 with the ram 19 is here shown as formed by the co-operation of a ball element 117 provided on the free end of this lever with a socket member 118 which is slidable in a bracket 119 attached to the ram by suitable screws 120. The free end of the lever 115 is connected with the slide member 47 of the carrier 27 by the co-operation of a ball element 122 provided on this lever with the socket of a slidable block 123. The block 123 is slidably received between a pair of thrust bearings 124 and 125 which are provided on the slide member 47 and yieldably biased into co-operating engagement with opposite sides of the block 123` by cornpression springs 126 and 127.

The pivot shaft 116 is mounted on the pedestal 37 by means of a pair of laterally spaced bearings 129 and 130. One end of the shaft is supported in the bearing 129 by means of a sleeve 131 which is keyed to the shaft and journalled in this bearing. The other end of the shaft is provided with an enlarged portion 132 which is journalled in the bearing 13). The shaft enlargement 132 is provided with axially spaced threaded portions 133 and 134 having pairs of lock nuts 135 applied thereto for maintaining the shaft enlargement 132 in a proper axially positioned relation in the bearing 130.

The levers 114 and 115 have hub or disk portions 137 and 138 in an adjacent relation and swingable about the axis of the shaft 116 as a common pivot axis. The disk portions 137 and v138 form co-operating elements of a clutch device 140 having a friction lining7 141 and by which actuating movement is transmitted from the ram 19 to the slide member 47.

The motion transmitting action of the clutch device 14) can be controlled or varied by varying the pressure applied to the friction lining 141. For this purpose, a group of spring washers 142 are provided on the pivot shaft 116 and transmit thrust to the disk portion 137 through the sleeve 131. A clamping nut 143 provided on a threaded pontion 144 of the shaft 116 permits the action of the spring washers 1-42 to be varied in accordance with the effectiveness desired for the clutch device 137 in transmitting actuating movement to the slide member 47.

The clutch device 140 thus provides a means by which Ithe driven lever 115 can be quickly and easily disconnected from the driving lever 114 when the feed mechanism 10 is to be rendered inoperative orfstopped. When the clutch device 140 is thus disengaged by a loosening of the nut 143, the driven lever 115 will remain stationary while the -drive lever 114 continues to be swung up and down by the reciprocating movement of the ram 19.

The clutch device 140 is re-engaged by tightening of lthe nut 143 but the compression of the spring washers 142 is preferably so selected that the clutch device will still be subject to slippage in the event that jamming should occur in the feed mechanism 16. If such a jammed condition occurs, the disk member 137 will remain relatively stationary while the drive lever 114 is swung back and forth by the ram 19 and breakage of, or damage to, the feed mechanism will thus be avoided.

The motion transmitting lever means 29 also comprises thrust means for imparting a positive outward or return movement to the carrier 27 in response to a closing or kdownward stroke of the ram 19, so as to insure a retraction of the holder means 28 from the path of the punch 23 and thus avoid damage to the holder means by collision of the punch thereagainst. This thrust means comprises an abutment lug 146 on the driven lever 115 and a thrust screw 147 engageable with such abutment lug and adjustable mounted in a support lug 14S of the drive lever 114.

The abutment lug 146 and the thrust screw 147 are so located that at any time that the carrier means 28 happens to be in its transfer position adjacent the die means 14, the abutment lug 146 will be engageable by the thrust screw 147 in response to a closing movement of the ram 19 to thereby cause a positive retraction of the holder means 28 before collision of the punch 23 therewith can occur. During normal operation of the feed mechanism 10, the co-operative engagement between the abutment lug 146 and the Vthrust screw 147 assists the-clutch device 140 in transmitting the actuating movement from the rarn 19 to the slide member 47 of the carrier 27.

Whenever the clutch device 14) has been rendered inoperative by the loosening of the nut 143 and the carrier 27 is standing idle in its retracted position, the abutment lug 146 will be located at the extreme end of, or beyond the range of, the arcuate movement of the thrust screw 147 but as soon as the clutch device 140 is again rendered effective by a retightening of the nut 143, the thrust screw 147 will autotmatically engage against and pick up thel abutment lug 146 for again transmitting, or assisting in transmitting, the operating movement to the carrier 27.

From the accompanying drawings and the foregoing detailed description it will now be readily understood that this invention provides novel feed mechanism of a highly practical form which is readily adaptable for use with various kinds of machines or apparatus to which articles or blanks are to be fed, and is particularly suitable for feeding articles or blanks to the die means of a machine of the punch press type. It will now also be readily understood that this novel feed mechanism embodies ejector means by which a rapid transfer of an article from a carrier means to an article-receiving die will be accomplished in an effective and positive manner so that such transfer -will not jbe dependent upon gravity, and consequently, the machine with which this feed mechanism is associated can be operated at a considerably increased production rate. Various other features and advantages of this novel feed mechanism are either apparent in the drawings or have already been mentioned above, and therefore, they need not be further summarized at this point.

Although the feed mechanism of this invention has been illustrated and described herein to a somewhat detailed eX- tent, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not to be regarded as being correspondingly limited in scope but includes all changes and modifications coming within the terms of the claims hereof.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. In a feed mechanism of the character described, supply means adapted to supply articles to be fed, carrier means having holder means for receiving an individual article from said supply means, means supporting said carrier means for advance movement from said supply means to an article delivery position, means operable to produce the advance movement of said carrier means, ejector means on said carrier means and movable relative to said holder means for ejecting said individual article from the latter, an energizable power supply device on the carrier means for movement therewith and operably associated with said ejector means to actuate the latter, and control means responsive to said advance movement for rendering said power device effective to actuate said ejector means upon arrival of said carrier means at said delivery position.

2. In feed mechanism of the character described, chute means adapted to supply articles to be fed, carrier means having holder means for receiving an individual article from Vsaid chute means, means supporting said carrier means for movement in forward and return directions between said chute means and an article delivery position, means connected with said carrier means for causing said forward and return movements thereof, ejector means on said carrier means and movable relative to said holder means for causing said individual article to be ejected from the holder means, an energy-storing power supply device on said carrier means for movement therewith and operably associated with said ejector means to actuate the same, means responsive to the return movement of said carrier means and effective on said power device for causing the same to store energy, and release means responsive to the forward movement of said carrier means for causing said power device to release energy for actuation of said ejector means.

3. In a feed mechanism for feeding articles to a receiver means, chute means adapted to supply articles to be fed, carrier means having holder means for receiving an individual article from said chute means, means supporting said carrier means for advance and return movements for alternately locating said holder means at said receiver means and said chute means, means operable to produce the advance and return movements of said carrier means, movable ejector means co-opera-ble with said holder means when the latter is at said receiver means for causing said individual article to be transferred from the holder means to said receiver means, an energy-storing power supply device for the ejector means, means responsive to the return movement of said carrier means for conditioning said 9 power device to an energy-stored condition, and control means responsive to the advance movement of said carrier means for causing the release of the stored energy of said power device to actuate said ejector means.

4. In a feed mechanism for feeding articles in succession, chute means adapted to supply articles to be fed, carrier means adapted to receive an individual article from said chute means, means supporting said carrier means for movement in an advance feeding direction away from said chute means, means operable to produce the advance feeding movement of said carrier means, movable ejector means co-operable with said carrier means for ejecting said individual article therefrom, said ejector means comprising a pivoted shaft and an ejector finger swingable by said shaft for ejecting said article from the carrier means, spring means connected with said shaft, means operable to tension said spring means, and control means responsive to the advance movement of said carrier means for causing said spring means to impart pivotal movement to said shaft for acutating said linger.

5. Feed mechanism as defined in claim 4 wherein said spring is a torsion spring located in surrounding relation to said shaft.

6. Feed mechanism as defined in claim 4 wherein the means for tensioning said spring comprises co-operating cam and cam-follower elements.

7. Feed mechanism as defined in claim 4 wherein said spring is a torsion spring located in surrounding relation to said shaft, and wherein the means for tensioning said spring comprises co-operating cam and cam-follower elements one of which is connected with said shaft.

8. In article feeding mechanism of the character described, holder means adapted to receive an article to be fed, reciprocable carrier means supporting said holder means for forward and return movements of the latter, means operable to reciprocate said carrier means, ejector means movable relative to said holder means for ejecting the article therefrom, spring-type energizable and releasable actuator means effective on said ejector means for imparting the article-ejecting movement thereto, means responsive to the return movement of said carrier means for energizing said actuator means, and control means responsive to the forward movement of said carrier means for releasing said actuator means.

9. In article feeding mechanism of the character described, holder means adapted to receive an article to be fed, reciprocable carrier means supporting said holder means for forward movement to a delivery position and return movement therefrom, means operable to reciprocate said carrier means, ejector means movable relative to said holder means when the latter is at said delivery position for ejecting the article from the holder means, springtype energizable and releasable actuator means effective on said ejector means for imparting the article-ejecting movement thereto, co-operable cam and cam-follower members responsive to the return movement of said carrier means for energizing said actuator means, latch means co-operable with said actuator means for retaining the latter in its energized condition, and control means responsive to the forward movement of said carrier means for tripping said latch means.

10. In article feeding mechanism of the character described, holder means adapted to receive an article to be fed, reciprocable carrier means supporting said holder means for forward movement to a delivery position and return movement therefrom, means operable to reciprocate said carrier means, a shaft mounted on said carrier means for pivotal movement, ejector means swingable by said shaft and engageable with said article to eject the same from said holder means when the latter is at said delivery position, spring means connected with said shaft, co-operable cam members responsive to the return movement of said carrier means for loading said spring means, latch means releasably holding said shaft against pivotal movement by said spring means, and control means responsive to the forward movement of said carrier means for tripping said latch means.

l1. Article feeding mechanism as defined in claim l0 wherein said spring means comprises a torsion spring, and wherein one of said cam members has a helical cam portion and the other cam member includes a roller engageable with said cam portion.

l2. In a feed mechanism of the character described, a supply means for supplying articles to be fed to a receiver means spaced therefrom, a reciprocable carrier having advance and return movements between said feed means and said receiver means, holder means adapted to receive an article therein and movable by said carrier from a position beneath said supply means to a position above said receiver means, means operable to reciprocate said carrier, a shaft pivoted on said carrier, an ejector member swingable by said shaft and movable into said holder means for ejecting the article therefrom in a downward direction into said receiver means, spring means connected with said shaft and effective to impart pivotal movement thereto for swinging said ejector member, means responsive to the return movement of said carrier for loading said spring means, latch means operable to releasably hold said shaft against pivotal movement, and control means responsive to the forward movement of said carrier for tripping said latch means.

13. In a feed mechanism for feeding articles from a supply station to die mechanism comprising a hollow article-receiving die member, and a co-operating punch carried by a ram or the like and to which the die-formed article adheres during die-opening movement of the punch; a reciprocable carrier; holder means adapted to receive an article therein and being movable by said carrier from an article-receiving position at said supply station to a transfer position adjacent said die member; means operable to reciprocate said carrier; a shaft pivoted on said carrier; and ejector means swingable by said shaft and engageable with the article in said holder means for displacing the same therefrom into said die member; said ejector means being of a height in relation to the dieopening movement of said punch to engage the adhering article during the swinging of said ejector means for dislodging the adhering article from said punch.

14. In a feed mechanism of the character described; chute means adapted to supply articles to be fed; holder means adapted to receive an individual article from said chute means; movable carrier means supporting said holder means for movement from said chute means to a delivery position; ejector means on said carrier means and movable relative to said holder means for ejecting an article therefrom when the holder means is in said delivery position; lever-type actuating means for said carrier means comprising a power supply lever and a power transmitting lever; a common support pivot for the levers; said levers having adjacent pivoted portions movable around said support pivot and said power transmitting lever being operably connected with said carrier means; and clutch means providing a releasable drive connection between said pivoted portions.

l5. Feed mechanism as defined in claim 14 wherein said clutch means comprises co-operating friction members and means operable to vary the clutching action between said friction members.

16. Feed mechanism as defined in claim 14 wherein the movement of said carrier means comprises a forward movement away from, and a return movement toward, said chute means; said clutch means comprising an overload-yieldable connection between said levers for imparting motion to said carrier means in the forward direction; and co-operably engageable thrust elements on said levers and providing a positive connection for imparting motion to said carrier means in the return direction.

17. In feed mechanism of the character described, a supply means for articles to be fed, movable carrier means, linger means comprising a pair of co-operating fingers ment to a spread conditon'for receiving one of said articles therebetween, means operable to actuate said carrier means kfor moving said `finger means to and from an article-receiving'position adjacent `said supply means, and tapered spreader means adjacent said supply means and engageable by said nger means for actuating said fingers totsaid spread condition in response to movement of the nger means to said article-receiving position, said supply means comprising chute means having'retractably movable retainer means for releasing the lowerimost article therefrom, said retainer means beinglocated for engagement of a portion thereof `by--fsaid carrier means for actuation of the retainerl meansto-a retracted position.

References Cited'. in the Vlefof this patent UNITED lSTATES PATENTS 1,381,810 Dayton June 14, 1921 1,855,235 Havener Apr. 26, 1932 1,859,372V Mutschler May 24, 1932 2,069,042 Merchant Jan. 26, 1937 2,586,536 Haller Feb. 19, 1952 2,802,381 Leasia Aug. 13, 1957 2,935,212 Braun May 3, 1960 

